Wild Folk Natural Shiraz 2025: Tasting Notes

WINE STYLE → Plush & Velvety

Wild Folk Natural Shiraz 2025 is a generous Barossa red filled with blackberry, blueberry and ripe black plum, lifted by florals and warm pepper spice. The palate has satisfying weight and richness, but polished tannins and balanced acidity keep it composed rather than heavy. Wild fermentation, stainless-steel maturation and no added preservatives give the wine a direct, vivid expression of Shiraz, with very little cellar make-up between the fruit and the glass.

Highlights

• Vegan suitable and No Added Preservative
• Crafted by Wild Folk — a minimal-intervention range focused on wild-fermented, unfined and unfiltered wines
• Blackberry, blueberry, black plum, florals and warm pepper spice
• Handpicked Barossa Valley Shiraz fermented in open vessels
• Matured in stainless steel to preserve fruit purity rather than introduce obvious oak flavour
• 14% ABV

Tasting Notes

Deep ruby with youthful purple tones, this Shiraz opens with richly expressed blackberry, blueberry and black plum. Floral notes bring lift, while cracked black pepper and warm spice add classic Shiraz detail. The palate is full-bodied and generous, with a plump core of dark fruit supported by polished tannins and balanced acidity. There is richness here, but the absence of obvious oak keeps the fruit vivid and the savoury detail clear. The finish is long, smooth and velvety, carrying dark berries, pepper and gentle earthy spice.

Winemaking

The Shiraz was handpicked and sorted before being placed into open fermenters, where wild yeast carried out the fermentation. The ferment was managed with plunging to gently draw colour, flavour and tannin from the skins. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was transferred to stainless steel rather than oak and bottled relatively young. It received minimal additions and was neither fined nor filtered, with no added preservatives used during production.

Vineyard & Vintage

The fruit comes from the Barossa Valley, a region closely associated with deeply flavoured Shiraz and some of Australia’s oldest surviving vineyards. The 2025 Barossa vintage produced particularly strong Shiraz, with excellent fruit quality recorded across the region despite variation in rainfall, vineyard position and water availability. This release captures the generous dark-fruit character expected from Barossa while stainless-steel maturation and minimal-intervention handling preserve freshness, floral lift and natural savoury detail.

Why We Love It

This has the richness people look for in Barossa Shiraz, without covering the fruit in sweet oak or excessive winemaking polish. Blackberry, plum and spice are delivered with a velvety texture, yet the floral lift and balanced acidity stop it becoming cumbersome. It is generous enough for a winter dinner or barbecue, but still vivid and energetic in the glass.

Food Pairing

The dark fruit, pepper spice and full-bodied texture suit food with char, slow-cooked richness or earthy savoury flavours. Protein softens the tannins, while smoky spices echo the wine’s peppery character. Vegetarian dishes work best when built around mushrooms, eggplant, lentils or flame-grilled vegetables.

Try matching this wine with →

• Harissa lamb shoulder with chickpeas — Find a Recipe
• Charred eggplant with tahini and spiced lentils — Find a Recipe
• Smoky beef short ribs — Find a Recipe

Mood or occasion to match this wine…

Bring this out when dinner involves glowing coals, slow cooking or a table full of bold savoury dishes. It is a warming, generous red for cooler evenings, relaxed gatherings and anyone who believes barbecue season never really ends.

Cellaring

This wine is made to show vivid fruit and generous texture in its youth. Enjoy now or cellar for approximately three to five years under cool, stable conditions. Once opened, reseal the bottle, refrigerate it and drink within one to two days, as wines made without added preservatives can evolve more quickly after exposure to air.

Producer

Wild Folk is a minimal-intervention wine range produced by Fourth Wave Wine, with grapes sourced from Australian regions that suit each chosen variety. This Shiraz comes from the Barossa Valley, where warmth and established Shiraz vineyards naturally deliver deep colour, ripe dark fruit and generous texture. The Wild Folk approach is deliberately hands-off: fruit is handpicked, fermented with native wild yeast and moved to stainless steel after fermentation. The wines receive minimal additions and are bottled without fining, filtration or added preservatives. For this Shiraz, that technique preserves the Barossa’s blackberry and plum richness while allowing floral, peppery and savoury characters to remain clearly visible.

Related Wines To Try →

Explore these natural and preservative-free reds for different expressions of bright fruit, savoury character and minimal-intervention winemaking:

• Lighter and more fragrant, with cherry, cranberry and satiny tannins — Wild Folk Natural Pinot Noir
• Certified biodynamic Barossa Shiraz with blackberry, violets, clove and rich natural tannins — Kalleske Zeitgeist Shiraz
• Softer organic Shiraz with plum fruit and a smooth, approachable palate — Botobolar Organic Preservative Free Shiraz

FAQ

What does Wild Folk Natural Shiraz 2025 taste like?

It has generous blackberry, blueberry and black-plum flavours with floral lift, cracked pepper and warm spice. The palate is full-bodied and velvety, with polished tannins, balanced acidity and a long dark-fruited finish.

Is this Shiraz dry or sweet?

This is a dry red wine. Its ripe Barossa fruit gives a rich and generous impression, but the palate finishes savoury and structured rather than sweet.

How full-bodied and tannic is it?

Wild Folk Natural Shiraz is full-bodied, with excellent fruit weight and a plump central palate. The tannins are polished and velvety rather than hard or aggressively drying, giving the wine richness with an approachable texture.

What temperature and glassware suit this wine?

Serve it at approximately 16–18°C in a large red-wine or Shiraz glass. A generous bowl gives the dark fruit, florals and pepper spice space to open while keeping the alcohol and tannins balanced.

Should Wild Folk Natural Shiraz be decanted?

A short decant of around 20–30 minutes will help the floral, peppery and savoury notes emerge from beneath the rich fruit. Avoid leaving it exposed for several hours because the wine is made without added preservatives.

Does this wine contain preservatives or sulphites?

This is a No Added Preservative wine, meaning sulphur dioxide has not been deliberately added during production. Small amounts of sulphites may form naturally during fermentation, even when none are added by the winemaker.

Is Wild Folk Natural Shiraz vegan friendly?

Yes, the wine is vegan suitable. It is also bottled without fining or filtration, avoiding the animal-derived processing agents sometimes used to clarify conventional wine.

What food pairs best with this Barossa Shiraz?

It works beautifully with barbecue beef, slow-cooked lamb, smoky sausages or peppered steak. Vegetarian matches include charred eggplant, mushroom pie, lentil moussaka and grilled portobello mushrooms.

Can this Shiraz be cellared?

Yes, although it is designed to be expressive and generous in its youth. Enjoy it now for its vivid dark fruit or cellar it for approximately three to five years to allow the fruit, spice and tannins to become more integrated.

Who will love this wine?

It will appeal to drinkers who enjoy rich Australian Shiraz but prefer less obvious oak and more direct fruit and savoury detail. If you like traditional Barossa Shiraz, natural reds or plush full-bodied wines with smooth tannins, this is an excellent match.

(SKU: FO_Shi_CV)